Taken in part from a Satsang at the Hollywood Temple by the residing monk

Daya Mata was given little dogs as pets. Once she said "Here is a little peace of God" This is what she said in reference to a little dog that was given to her. So is it violent to shoot game? The answer is: Yes It is also violent to let others do the dirty work and eat what has violently been killed. Paramahansa Yogananda spoke of this in the book Mejda. He refused to eat meat that was offered him as a boy because of the violence perpetrated by others.

By destroying the instinct to kill one acquires divine magnetism. You have a different kind of magnetism that people and others will feel. Wild animals like to be around people that meditate. Once a monk was meditating and upon opening his eyes a cobra was standing in front of him looking at him intently. The monk was terrified but finally gained his composure and moved away from the creature. He told his Master and his Master said that the creature was drawn to him because of his spiritual magnetism. i myself have seen three rattlesnakes up close while hiking none of whom even rattled but seemed to be at peace. Another time i saw a very long blue racer who outstared me.

Sometimes people that hunt have done so in past lives even to live. Shooting for game is violent. Yet we must endure these people if we r put in a position around them. i remember being in Durgama's (A nun that lived at the Mother Center during Yognanada's life here on earth.) room getting ready to meditate. Two little dogs she had were restless and she said "If you give these little ones enough love they will become humans in the next incarnation."

hi steve,In my opinion it is important to not to think about ourselves too much or giving too much importance as security and survival etc.In this process GOD also helps. Earlier in my life I killed a few snakes for security when they entered my house . recently a snake entered a house of my nearby relative. I was being called as none of the parents of the kids was there and they were afraid. I have tried to hit the snake five times with a log of wood but missed. the snake finally sneaked away. All the time my wife was praying for the safety of snake. I still killed mosquitos when the pester me.Don't know what to do ?prabhat

hi steve,In my opinion it is important to not to think about ourselves too much or giving too much importance as security and survival etc.In this process GOD also helps. Earlier in my life I killed a few snakes for security when they entered my house . recently a snake entered a house of my nearby relative. I was being called as none of the parents of the kids was there and they were afraid. I have tried to hit the snake five times with a log of wood but missed. the snake finally sneaked away. All the time my wife was praying for the safety of snake. I still killed mosquitos when the pester me.Don't know what to do ?prabhat

Pranams to all

What i admire about India (among other things) is the novel way the Indian people dealt with violence. When they 'fought' for independence they used ahimsa (literally: the avoidance of violence – himsa) to gain it.

Well we were talking about shooting for game and letting others do the dirty work so we can eat flesh. Now we r talking about reptiles that enter your house. Yet when we bury the hatchet into flesh or penetrate it with bullets and a knife to cut the meat; there is an act of violence perpetrated.

It seems to me that we quite often think of killing something first that intrudes into our space. i remember spending time with a woman who loved reptiles. It gave me a totally different perspective. i often have used a live trap to catch rodents and then let them go in the neighbors front yard. Just kidding, But the live trap part is true. When things have got out of control i will admit using poison. Yet i do remember a time when the ants got out of control when i was younger and staying in my aunts guest house. Aunt Tulin would have nothing to do with killing all the aunts. She demanded that we pray for them and tell them that they had come to the wrong place to live. Miraculously they did leave. So maybe there is something to your wife's prayers Prabhad.

Mosquitoes? They r repelled by tea tree oil, lavender oil and other herbs. Sometimes its hard to get to sleep with their constant buzzing and intermittent blood rites. Meditation, equanimity and the human body seem more important then a little mosquito. It is best if we can avoid them. If not we can prey for their evolution as we eliminate them in their vampirious exercises. That is, until we become like Sri Yukteswar who was insulated from them as told by PY in the autobiography of a yogi.

I've seen dogs and animals that r a lot more affectionate and loving then humans. They curled up, slept with me and often follow me around. It seemed to tell me that when affection and warmth from others are not forthcoming; God can still come in other mysterious ways. There is often a little piece of God that manifests when we r at a loss to find it in humans. i suppose the most important thing is that we love others and try to do our actions in love. If we cannot we need to modify our actions.

i don't like hunting but if i had to kill i will. look at nature. but i believe now it's important not to take life carelessly. to be mindful and always respect whatever happens. if i hunt i tend to use most everything i can from the kill. even predators show affection to their kin. there's a difference between violence and hunting. to some hunting is a way of life, not a sport- and is very spiritual. perspective. i also believe if you kill an insect, reptile, mammal- anything- or choose to let it live, you are directly effecting an unrelated relationship. the night i let the spider live- after the feather appeared i immediately thought i was preserving something good with an old friend and a future relationship.

i don't like hunting but if i had to kill i will. look at nature. but i believe now it's important not to take life carelessly. to be mindful and always respect whatever happens. if i hunt i tend to use most everything i can from the kill. even predators show affection to their kin. there's a difference between violence and hunting. to some hunting is a way of life, not a sport- and is very spiritual. perspective. i also believe if you kill an insect, reptile, mammal- anything- or choose to let it live, you are directly effecting an unrelated relationship. the night i let the spider live- after the feather appeared i immediately thought i was preserving something good with an old friend and a future relationship.

Hello brother. i am not saying that u r wrong and i am right. i am sharing my view and the view of many other spiritual Masters.

Some people have to hunt for their family because they have a difficult time getting by. i think we must recognize that absolutes do not apply in a world of many shades of grey. Yet i want to relay a story that just happened to me tonite. A woman walked in a store and demanded that she got money back for a 'stale' cigar. The man behind the register refused to do it since the cigar was obviously smoked and he had encountered so many other 'returns' The woman then threatened to vandalize the store and she thru over a display case. The cashier then chased her to her car as she was leaving. He picked up a rubber street marker and hit her window and broke it. Then she picked up a dolly and started swinging it at the store windows. i stopped her.

i have heard of people getting shot in houses and all kinds of human fatalities because of hunting. U see violence leads to more violence. If we can consider a dog a pet or a snake or anything else for that matter; Than why cannot for instance a deer b one. As a matter of fact PY had a pet deer and the deer at the Mother Center would walk into the building because they were pets.How can we justify violently killing such creatures unless we r really in need? How can we justify killing cows when they give us milk and cheese and so many other things that r healthy? Any spiritual seeker soon learns the harm that meat does to our spiritual life. Let us b kind to our animals and not kill them unless we need to preserve our own lives.

It is difficult to control anger yet killing animals is usually for the sake of eating them or worst for the sport. When we eat meat we have to contend with all the psychological and biological problems associated with its ingestion and the karma associated with killing. Living a spiritual life involves making choices. Be kind to animals; Don't eat them. The choice is ours.

They r repelled by tea tree oil, lavender oil and other herbs_I will try steve. I use mosquito reppelents which does not smell good.

Living a spiritual life involves making choices. Be kind to animals; Don't eat them. The choice is ours.very well said steve.

There is a story of a realised vyagh(hunter) in vyagh Geeta.He used to sell meat killed by others though he does not hunt himself. It was his family occupation.But he lead an honest life served her parents, family well.

They r repelled by tea tree oil, lavender oil and other herbs_I will try steve. I use mosquito reppelents which does not smell good.

Living a spiritual life involves making choices. Be kind to animals; Don't eat them. The choice is ours.very well said steve.

There is a story of a realised vyagh(hunter) in vyagh Geeta.He used to sell meat killed by others though he does not hunt himself. It was his family occupation.But he lead an honest life served her parents, family well.

Nomaste Prahatsinha i would wonder when this person sold meat. You see if i worked in a grocery store i would also sell it, although more and more stores will eliminate these products as we gain more awareness of our spiritual purpose and the our relationship to Mother Nature. We must realize that there was a time when we needed to hunt because food was scarce and not available because of the climate. Yet we r moving into the higher ages. We r well into the beginning of the Dwapara Yuga.

Soon the majority of the people will b vegetarian. We r making a spiritual effort and we should b ahead of our times and try to b an example for times to come. We fall back like most human beings. Yet we r progressing fast towards the goal. We recognize that there is divinity in everything and the higher forms of life exhibit even more. It is not for us to decide their destiny but to b stewards to the earth and its creatures. i cannot even think of killing a creature of such beauty as i have seen in the forest. Commercial killing is even worst. This is not weakness. This is sensitivity and love for all of God's creatures; their evolution and ours included.

i also believe if you kill an insect, reptile, mammal- anything- or choose to let it live, you are directly effecting an unrelated relationship. the night i let the spider live- after the feather appeared i immediately thought i was preserving something good with an old friend and a future relationship.

Animals and insects can also tell u about your relationships and can make up for difficult encounters. In a descriptive sense it is unrelated yet in a spiritual sense everything is related. What we preserve is good, an old friend and future relationships. We must also care so much that when it is time to let go we r willing. Sometimes we have to create a void so more wonderful things can enter.

Pranams to all I've seen dogs and animals that r a lot more affectionate and loving then humans. They curled up, slept with me and often follow me around. It seemed to tell me that when affection and warmth from others are not forthcoming; God can still come in other mysterious ways. There is often a little piece of God that manifests when we r at a loss to find it in humans. i suppose the most important thing is that we love others and try to do our actions in love. If we cannot we need to modify our actions.

Jitendra

I will be glad to trade with you. I have a wife I call 'Cactus' she is very affectionate and juicy if you can get past the quills. But those arms and that body....if you can just get past the quills. I like to commingle. So tell me if your interested in changing partners.

They r repelled by tea tree oil, lavender oil and other herbs_I will try steve. I use mosquito reppelents which does not smell good.

Living a spiritual life involves making choices. Be kind to animals; Don't eat them. The choice is ours.very well said steve.

There is a story of a realised vyagh(hunter) in vyagh Geeta.He used to sell meat killed by others though he does not hunt himself. It was his family occupation.But he lead an honest life served her parents, family well.

Citronella oil is another essential oil that Mosquito's stay away from. i had to smother myself with tea tree oil and citronella oil when i was meditating in parks at nite earlier in life. i noticed that some veteran mosquito's came in full force and if they found any space i left uncovered they would be there. In short the vampires feel a compelling need to mate and provide the blood needed to do so for their young ones. One of natures compulsions that is one of the last things to go. Second only to hunger. One that i have observed in my human nature also.

But the vyagh Geeta i was unable to find anything about on the internet.